Another fine mess...

Posted on 20 February 2012 by Kathy

Another fine mess you got me into...

OK - it's another typo story. But this cartoon below shows exactly what can happen when the design/writer gets the incorrect spelling for a word.

This version of the American constitution might have been been better - at least there wouldn't have been so many guns around!

Which file format do I want?

Posted on 20 January 2012 by Kathy

Which file format is best for a logo?

Are you confused about TIFFs, JPEGs, GIFs, EPS, PNG and BMP files? Many designers find it difficult to understand all the different types of image format, and it is even harder for non-designers, but here is a very simple guide.

Vector files

A vector file is one which consists of points and lines, rather than pixels. The advantage of a vector logo is that the file size is small and yet the image can be enlarged to almost any size, with no loss of quality. The most common vector file is an EPS, which stands for Encapsulated Postscript.

When you create a logo for distribution it is wise to convert any fonts to outlines. I find it surprising that many large organisations give out logos where the type is not outlined. If the logo is used by someone without that font installed on their computer, the file will not display correctly.

EPS files are most suitable for print purposes, and if using them for print they should be in CMYK or Pantone colours and they can also be saved in RGB format for use on the web.

Bitmap files

A bitmap is made up of pixels (blocks of colour). They can be used for both print and web purposes. If you want to use the logo just on the web the file only needs to be 72dpi (dots per inch) - which means that it will be a small file size. A logo on the web at 50mm x 20mm would be about 25k. If you want to use the same logo on a printed job at 250m wide then the file size would need to be about 2000k (2mb).

You can use bitmap logos in print but the larger the logo is used the larger the file needs to be. The vector file means that logo with a small file size can be enlarged to any size.

There are many different bitmap file names - here are just a few you will come across.

JPEG or JPG
(acronym for the Joint Photographic Experts Group which created the standard) A JPEG is a 'lossy compression' which means that it compresses data by losing some of it, and therefore the file size is reduced. A disadvantage of a JPEG is that if you keep resaving as a JPEG, the quality will reduce and it will become noticeably bitmapped or jagged.

PNG (Portable Network Graphics)
PNG was created to replace GIF and employs lossless data compression. It is a good method of saving logos with a transparent background.

There are lots of other file formats out there. If you don't know or are not sure, ask your designer.

Even the big boys do it

Posted on September 26, 2011 by designsweet

We have had to buy a new car recently. The old car was pronounced dead and not worth repairing after 14 years of faithful service. So we went car shopping. And I picked up brochures everywhere we went. Some of them are beautiful, shiny cars and magnificent dashboards, pages of technical details. Pages of choices you can make: alloy wheels, different fabrics for seats, ABS, EPS, metallic colours, the list goes on and on. I like cars. I like driving. So I sat and looked through the brochures I had collected. Then I saw it. The typo. Staring at me. 'Quicklclear'. We've got Quickclear windows now I want Quicklclear windows.

So when we had chosen our car (very smart, chosen as much for its design and look as its driveability) we went home and I took a quick look at the other brochures. Almost the first page I looked at I found a typo, 'independant'. Though in my view that's not really a typo, that's a spelling error (when my English teacher would have put 'Sp' in red letters in the margin). Both of these errors would have been picked up with 'spell-check' and I am sure that both Mazda and Ford have paid dearly for the design of their brochures, and probably had it proof-read! It didn't make me not buy the car - I am possibly one of the few people who have read the brochure - but it doesn't reflect well to have typos on either the company or the design agency. Neither brochure (luckily) had the designer's name on it.

Just imagine!

Posted on September 2, 2011 by designsweet

Just imagine if the letters on your keyboard kept moving around. Each day you would go to your desk and discover that QWERTY had turned into PKHVCA or BXSGPL and each day would be different. How annoying would that be? Think how long it would take to type something familiar - and how long if you were to type something completely new!

There are some websites (still) where the menu buttons move on each page. So each page is a new experience and you have to search for the menu. You need to make your website easily to navigate. Realistically your website should have the main pages on the menu on every page, and have a simple menu - not 19 buttons to choose from. And you should be able to get to the Home page from every page. Drop-down secondary menus are fine as long as they work and link to a page - I've met quite a number that don't! Most annoying!!

Only put useful information on your website - think about your website from your potential client's view - what is it they want to know? Is it really important that they know how your company got to 'here'? Will it make them want to buy from you? If the answer is 'no', then leave it out.

Too many businesses have websites that are built for them and not their clients or potential clients. There are simple rules to follow. Work out what you want to say; just imagine that you are a client looking for someone who can supply the services you offer. What would make you pick up the phone or email a request? Ask friends, family, your colleagues.

Think from the top down. Big news at the top - a viewer can't necessarily see all of the page on their screen. So condense your message into 'bites' and feed them a tasty morsel each bite.

Other important considerations:

• Don't have too many fonts, in lots of different colours and sizes.
• Avoid shocking colours - or ones that make you see stars!

Ask yourself: Does it look good? Is it simple? Is is clear?

You want a 'yes' on all three.

Now just imagine! your website is sorted! here come the calls and emails!

Typos cost money!

Posted on August 4, 2011 by designsweet

A recent study about on-line business has said that poor spelling could be costing businesses millions. It reported that a single spelling mistake on a webpage can cut online sales by up to 50 per cent.

One particular website showed that revenue doubled after a typo was corrected - revealing the extent to which poor spelling and grammar can put off customers.

However accurate spelling and grammar isn't the be all and end all of good writing. It won't make people warm to you or want to buy from you. That has more to do with the way you write.

When I was a student teacher many years ago the class teacher got her class of 10 year olds to write to me when I went back to college after my teaching practice with them. I had 26 letters - some were very stilted - 'Miss Smith says we have to write and thank you for being our teacher!', some were a little more chatty - 'We have been using the weather station we built with you!", but one shone. One child told me about how he had bought himself an action (akshun) man and what he'd done at the weekend. Hardly any of the words were spelt correctly but it was a wonderfully interesting letter, engaged me, made me laugh and I still remember it. He wasn't repressed by the fact that he couldn't spell properly he just said what he wanted to say and tried his best.

We should remember this when we are writing sales letters, brochures, adverts, cvs - the purpose is to engage the audience, to persuade them to buy, or give us an interview. Tidy it up afterwards by all means but make sure that the reader knows that you really care, and understand what matters to customers.

If you're not confident with your writing skills note down the points you would like to make and then talk to a copywriter who will be able to put your points across in the right way. It does pay to use an expert and if it can really improve your chances to sell then it has to be worth it!

Paying twice for logo design?

Posted on June 4, 2011 by designsweet

I met a business woman the other day who had bought her logo design and stationery set-up over the web. She hadn't paid a great amount (the site was holding a 'sale') but she had paid for an original logo design and print-ready files, as well as the original design. She wanted some printing so I took a look at her disk and the print-ready files.

The design of the logo was fine - I said so as she complained about how long it had taken the company to respond to her when she wanted to change things (mainly the colour - a single colour). She also told me that she had sent them a jpeg of a design she liked and wanted to have her logo based on something similar. Her main problem had been sorting out the colour.

I hoped that the design was in a Pantone colour!I hoped that the logo design was supplied as a vector file!I hoped that the 'print-ready' files would have cropmarks and bleed. I hoped in vain.

The 'logo design company' had scanned or dropped the image she had sent them into Photoshop. They had constructed the jpgs and eps files probably in Photoshop and the pdfs had no crop marks to show what size the cards should be, or bleed where a box went off the edge of the letterhead. The whole thing was in RGB. I did suggest that she went back to the original company and asked them to supply the correct sort of files but she had had enough of struggling to deal with them.

I showed her a Pantone chart and she chose a colour. We found (and bought) the Royalty- free logo design that she had found - which was lucky as I had told her she might have found something that was copyright and, if so, it would have to be redesigned. I have now reconstructed the artwork and the logo (which had been slightly adapted) and she will have a vector file of her logo, as well as the original Indesign files and print-ready pdfs with crops and bleeds. I've also thrown in an alternative to the business/appointment card!

The moral of this tale is obvious. Be sure that if you buy over the web you buy from someone who knows what they are doing. Better still unless you are buying a commodity (CDs, books, etc) buy from someone local, reputable, who you can contact easily and who will return your calls or emails. She may have thought she was getting a bargain!I doubt that she thinks that now!

Luckily I won't charge her as even much as she paid first time round. But she is paying twice for the logo design she wanted - unless she claims on the 'money-back' guarantee the company offers!

And hopefully she'll recommend me to her friends and business acquaintances!

The KISS!

Not the one on the balcony or the other one on the balcony. No! KISS refers to a design/marketing principle which is useful to remember.

Keep It Simple, Stupid

That means exactly what it says.

• Don't go for dropped shadows and gradient fills on your logo. Or intricate and detailed designs that won't work in a single colour or reduce to fit on a pen.
• Keep your vocabulary simple - don't try to over-impress with long words and jargon. Look at some of the job adverts in newspapers which on first reading sound really complicated, but when you interpret them, are very, very straightforward.
• If you are writing a sales letter stick to one idea - don't try and sell all your services at once.
• Your business plan will benefit from the KISS principle. And so will your marketing plan!

Antoine de Saint Exupery's "It seems that perfection is reached not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away" is a good maxim to follow.

QR Codes

Posted on April 19, 2011 by designsweet

We've all seen them - a square made up from other squares and blobs. But what are they? They are QR codes. They are a type of bar-code that can contain more than just numbers. Originally developed for the car-industry to track car parts round the factory they are now being used in magazines, newspapers, marketing material, on business cards, posters, buses! If you, or your clients, have a Smartphone with the appropriate app (free to download) the QR code can be scanned and the information it holds is instantly (QR = Quick Response) available. So you can direct clients and prospects to your website, or a special page on your website; give them a special offer or coupon; directions to your restaurant or shop; your contact details; a message!the list is as long as you like.

I have a QR code on my leaflet - links straight through to my website. They work on-screen as well- where will the journey end?

Typo or not typo?

I waited and waited but nothing happened. The walking greenhouse. *There was a picture of the "Walking Greenhouse" or perhaps it was a "walk-in greenhouse" - but it's obviously walked!

It wasn't going to do it - perhaps not in front of people. Maybe when it's in your garden in the morning when you look out it will have shifted to the warm spot by the shed! or in the heat of the day will do a dash for the shade. Either way I love it!

But it does demonstrate the importance of spelling! Is this a typo or someone playing a joke?

If you don't want to be embarrassed by silly errors you have two choices! use a dictionary or use a graphic designer who can spell, understands grammar and even apostrophes!

5 fonts you really shouldn't use in print design

Posted on March 22, 2011 by designsweet

From the many thousands of fonts there are available most graphic designers are generally agreed on which fonts not to use.

They are:

• Curlz - (or any font remotely like it) unless you are 7 years old or under.
• Arial - use Helvetica instead. Microsoft tampered with Helvetica and came up with Arial.
• Papyrus - are you really pretending to be an ancient Egyptian?
• Comic Sans - it's not such a bad font but there are better ones!
• Brush Script - this is more a personal hate. There are so many others that you can use!

I was going to upload an image with these fonts - but I can't find a copy of all of them on my computer - anywhere. Perhaps that says it all.

5 tips to make your design for print more professional

Posted on March 14, 2011 by designsweet

These tips work especially in designing for print - the web is a little more tolerant. But using them will make any of your communications look better.

• Some people are still putting two spaces at the end of a sentence. That went out with the typewriter. One space is enough.
• Headlines don't have to be the thickest bold typestyle you have on your computer. Consider making your headlines a light-weight font, and perhaps just a few points larger. Or change the font for headlines - if your main text is in a serif font use a non-serif!or vice versa.
• Bold, italics, underlined, or otherwise highlighted text should be used sparingly. You use these techniques to draw attention to specific text. If you overuse it, you accomplish just the opposite.
• Fully justified text boxes are more difficult to read and can leave you with unsightly gaps throughout your text - known as 'rivers'..
• USING ALL CAPS ONLY DRAWS ATTENTION TO YOUR LACK OF UNDERSTANDING OF DESIGN.